We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ben Bryant. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ben below.

Hi Ben, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Inside Out Solutions is the solution to a common problem. If you need your home remodeled, your roof replaced, or even a new home built, a simple search will bring dozens of results. But what if you don’t need a multiple stage project done? What if you just need a small refresh done? That’s the problem I set out to solve with Inside Out Solutions. What if you had a local handyman just focusing on making the surfaces in your home look better? Brilliant, right?! So many homes I walk into are empty! But the simplicity of a couple family pictures on the wall, a few strategically placed mirrors to brighten up a room, lifting your TV onto a mount, getting some fresh curtains and blinds installed… These all change your house into a home faster than any other home project can do. I love this unique service because every time I leave someone’s home, they feel more connected. I love refreshing homes!

Ben, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got into this business through Covid and a health complication combo. I lost my job when Covid hit, which actually turned out to be a God-send! I developed something called Ulcerative Colitis which essentially means my digestive system and liver don’t work anymore. While tough, it allowed me to step back during a very tough 2020 and see what people around me were struggling with every day. Many people stuck at home all day didn’t want to blow walls out and start over, they just needed some help refreshing the spaces they already had.

As my recovery journey began, so did my journey of providing small services to homeowners needing just a bit of professional help with small projects. Doing my own gig-work allowed me to work around my body in short segments of time, until the gig-work was full-time and needed to become what Inside Solutions is today.

I’m proud of the business I’ve built over the past few years! We are southern Minnesota’s premier handyman service, focusing on small services and specializing in wall hangings (pictures, mirrors, artwork, shelves, closets, TVs), curtains and blinds, and furniture assembly. My clients today love having someone who reliably shows up when scheduled, wears a clean uniform, respects their family and their home, and brings a vacuum to clean up after every job! It’s not just a job for me, it’s what I love doing every day!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

While I don’t have a background in the trades, I was still heavily influenced by other handymen and contractors in my space. As a young business owner trying to find help, I started doing “what everyone else did.” This meant for a time starting out that I’d get the job done, and not much else. While this may be all some people want, I realized very fast that this kind of mentality is what so many people are tired of today! Have you ever had a bad experience with a handyman or contractor? Been stood up and ghosted for an appointment? Never knowing if they’ll show up? A project taking months? Someone run away with your deposit? Having a mess to clean up after they left? Not giving a warranty on their work? And so many more!

This had to stop with me. But how? It took a lot of heavy and dedicated research to find groups of handymen and contractors that were different than this norm. Apparently professional tradespeople are not easy to find. But the months of searching paid off as I found others doing what I wanted to do in professional, respectful, and clean ways. Once I started learning from other industry professionals from around the world, I was able to turn Inside Out Solutions into the trusted service it is today.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Being a handyman business often assumes that you can do it all! Not having any sort of construction background, this really made it difficult as I tried to do it all. I spent long hours every day learning and researching how to do projects. It really burned me out and started to get out of control as I was doing everything people asked me to do for them. I realized I had to put a stop to the insanity and focus on the services I enjoyed and was good at doing. That’s why I focus on hanging and mounting projects, installing curtains and blinds, and assembling furniture. These are projects I enjoy and can do well! While I still provide other services, I know that I can’t provide the best skill if I’m trying to do a little bit of everything. At the very least, focusing on small services means I’m narrowing down that handyman field a good bit to a smaller range of skills. I don’t want to do something just because I can, I want to do it because I can do it well. That’s why if you check my website out today, you’ll see several highlighted services I offer and love doing every day!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.insideoutsolutionsmn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insideoutsolutionsmn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutSolutionsMN
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@insideoutsolutionsmn/featured